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Cliff Hanger (game)
Encyclopedia
Cliff Hanger was a laserdisc video game
released by Stern Electronics in 1983. It used animation from the anime series Lupin III
, mostly from The Castle of Cagliostro
(directed by Hayao Miyazaki
) and scenes from Mystery of Mamo
. Like many laserdisc games, it's a reactive type game which required the player to press a button or move the joystick in a particular direction when prompted by the game to progress the storyline. The segments from Mystery of Mamo use the original English dub commissioned by Toho
, while the segments from Castle of Cagliostro use a dub created for the game.
The game's plot does not come from either of the films, and instead involves "Cliff" (who is based on Arsène Lupin III
) rescuing Clarissa (Lady Clarisse d'Cagliostro, the bride from Castle of Cagliostro) from the evil Count Draco (in some materials called "Dreyco" and in the instruction manual "Dragoe"), who wants to marry her.
The original version of Cliff Hanger had an animated sequence of Cliff being hanged at the gallows immediately following the "miss" animation sequence. The sequence was taken from the opening sequence of Mystery of Mamo
(where Lupin was supposedly hanged in Transylvania
), plus a later scene in the same film. According to the instruction manual, a setting on the game cabinet's logic board would allow the individual owners/operators the option of not playing the sequence if they so chose.
Cliff Hanger was released as the novelty of laserdisc games waned, thus many cabinets were destroyed or converted over time.
's voice saying "Kurarissu?" ("Clarisse?") from the original vocal track of Castle of Cagliostro. The American voice actor then says "I think we'd better get out of here" before one other missed overdub can be clearly heard: the Count (Taro Ishida
) from the original film saying "ute." ("fire.").
Laserdisc video game
A laserdisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video played from a laserdisc, either as the entirety of the graphics, or as part of the graphics.-History:...
released by Stern Electronics in 1983. It used animation from the anime series Lupin III
Lupin III
, also known as Lupin the 3rd, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of Monkey Punch. The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of...
, mostly from The Castle of Cagliostro
The Castle of Cagliostro
is a 1979 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is one of the films featuring master thief Arsène Lupin III.The second animated Lupin III movie and arguably the best known, Castle of Cagliostro was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who also co-directed the first...
(directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
) and scenes from Mystery of Mamo
Mystery of Mamo
The Secret of Mamo, or The Mystery of Mamo, is the most common English name for the 1978 first animated feature film based on the Lupin III character created by Monkey Punch, originally released in Japan as simply and now known there as in order to differentiate it from the four others that...
. Like many laserdisc games, it's a reactive type game which required the player to press a button or move the joystick in a particular direction when prompted by the game to progress the storyline. The segments from Mystery of Mamo use the original English dub commissioned by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, while the segments from Castle of Cagliostro use a dub created for the game.
The game's plot does not come from either of the films, and instead involves "Cliff" (who is based on Arsène Lupin III
Arsène Lupin III
is a fictional character introduced by Monkey Punch in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. According to its creator, Lupin is the grandson of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin....
) rescuing Clarissa (Lady Clarisse d'Cagliostro, the bride from Castle of Cagliostro) from the evil Count Draco (in some materials called "Dreyco" and in the instruction manual "Dragoe"), who wants to marry her.
The original version of Cliff Hanger had an animated sequence of Cliff being hanged at the gallows immediately following the "miss" animation sequence. The sequence was taken from the opening sequence of Mystery of Mamo
Mystery of Mamo
The Secret of Mamo, or The Mystery of Mamo, is the most common English name for the 1978 first animated feature film based on the Lupin III character created by Monkey Punch, originally released in Japan as simply and now known there as in order to differentiate it from the four others that...
(where Lupin was supposedly hanged in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
), plus a later scene in the same film. According to the instruction manual, a setting on the game cabinet's logic board would allow the individual owners/operators the option of not playing the sequence if they so chose.
Cliff Hanger was released as the novelty of laserdisc games waned, thus many cabinets were destroyed or converted over time.
Goofs
In the main, the voices were overdubbed in English. However, when "Cliff" finally reaches "Clarissa's" chamber, the player can clearly hear Yasuo YamadaYasuo Yamada
was a Japanese voice actor born in Tokyo, Japan.Yamada left the faculty of literature of Waseda University, and had performed in many stage, radio, and television productions. His most famous role was Arsène Lupin III from the Lupin III series, starting in 1971 and ending in 1995...
's voice saying "Kurarissu?" ("Clarisse?") from the original vocal track of Castle of Cagliostro. The American voice actor then says "I think we'd better get out of here" before one other missed overdub can be clearly heard: the Count (Taro Ishida
Taro Ishida
' is a Japanese actor and seiyū from the city of Kyoto.-Career:Ishida is a chief priest at a Buddhist temple in Kanazawa, Ishikawa.Ishida is affiliated with Granpapa Production and his former stage name is '....
) from the original film saying "ute." ("fire.").
Appearances in other media
- The television show StarcadeStarcadeStarcade was a game show where contestants competed against one another by playing arcade video games. The series originally aired on WTBS from 1982–1983, followed by a run in syndication for the following season....
featured a special episode where rather than playing the usual three games, the contestants played three rounds of Cliff Hanger. The winner of the show, Mark Walsh, won a Cliff Hanger cabinet. - In an episode of MacrossMacrossis a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
(seen as part of RobotechRobotechRobotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
), the game is shown in the city arcade when MaxMaximilian Jenius' is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Macross, voiced by Shō Hayami. In the new English adaptation by ADV Films, he is voiced by Chris Patton.-Macross:...
and MiriyaMilia Fallyna Jeniusis a fictional character in the Macross Japanese animated science fiction series, voiced by Eri Takeda. In the 2006 English adaptation by ADV Films she is voiced by Luci Christian.-Macross:...
meet. - In the movie The GooniesThe GooniesThe Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
, Chunk is playing Cliff Hanger when he sees the Fratelli Brothers driving past while being chased by the police.
Technical details
Cliff Hanger uses a unique feedback loop to read frame details from the game laserdisc. This prevents the laserdisc and gameplay from ever going out of sync (a common occurrence in other lasergames as the disc players aged).External links
- Dragon's Lair Project
- The Dot Eaters entry on Cliff Hanger and the laser game craze